Machine for making sheet-metal pans



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val-ALEXANDER. Machine for MakingSheet-Metal Pans.

Patented May 4, 1880.

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FiynZ Jiiorney N.PE|ERS, PHOTO-LIYMOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D c.

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U. D. ALEXANDER.

Maohine for Making Sheet-Metal Pans.

No. 227,196. Patented lVi'ay 4.1880;

I o o slum? I inn INVENTOR:

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

URBANA D. ALEXANDER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR MAKING SHEET-METAL PANS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart Of Letters Patent NO. 227,196, dated May 4;,1880.

Application filed January 27, 1880- To all whom it may concern Be itknown that I, URBANA D. ALEXAN- DER, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Machines for Making Sheet-Metal Pans, of which the following, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a top or plan view of a machineembodying my invention. Fig. 2, Sheet 1,is an end view thereof. Fig. 3,Sheet 2, is a section in the plane of the line a; w of Fig. 1, showing,in addition to the parts shown in the figure last above referred to, acentral longitudinal section of the sheetmetal blank, and of the die orpresser, and of the removable floor or block, arranged in their properpositions with relation to each other and the other parts of the machinefor the performance of the first step in the operation or work upon theblank. 4, Sheet 2, is a section in plane of the line y y of Fig. 1,Sheet 1, showing .all the parts excepting the movable floor or blockinthe position they occupy at the completion of the first step oroperation upon the blank. Fig. 5, Sheet 2, is a section in the plane ofthe line 2 z of Fig. 1, Sheet 1, showing the parts in the position lastabove referred to. Fig. 6, Sheet 2, is a section in the plane of theline a." w of the next preceding figure. Fig. 7, Sheet 3, is alongitudinal vertical section through the central part of the machine,showing the modifications of construction required to take the secondstep in the manufacture of the pans. Fig. 8, Sheet 3, is an end view ofthe machine when containin g the parts shown in the next precedingfigure. Fig. 9,.Sheet 3, is a face View of ,the blank; Fig. 10, Sheet 3,a top view of the blank or pan after having the first step performedupon it. Fig. 11, Sheet 3, is a perspective of the same after the secondstep has been taken. Fig. 12, Sheet 3, is a section in the plane of theline y y of Fig. 8, Sheet 3. Fig. 13, Sheet 3, is a sectional detail,showing the relative position of the pan and pressers or formers at theend of the second step; and Fig. 14, Sheet 3, is a detail, showing aface view of one of the blocks which perform the function of laying thecorners left projecting after the first step has been taken.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts.

My invention relates to that class of dies or stamps intended for thepurpose of producing mechanically pans and like dishes made of flexiblesheet metal, or sheet metal which admits of being bent with facilityinto various forms, and which retains its form after being bent-such,for example, as sheet-tin.

My object is to improve the construction and operation of devices ofthis class; and to that end my invention consists in the means, substantially as hereinafter specified, which I employ for the purposeabove set forth.

A represents the base of the machine, stamp, or die, and this base mayconsist either of a separate or independent block or board adapted toreceive the working parts, as shown, or of a portion of a bench, table,or stand so adapted.

B B are laterally-sliding blocks or bearings arranged in grooves or waysa a in the base A. The upper faces of these blocks are shouldered, asshown at b b.

O O are screws arranged horizontally and entering the outer faces of theblocks B B. The barrels or stems of the screws 0 0 turn freely in fixedblocks 0 c, and are provided with collars d d, to prevent themv frombeing pushed outwardly through the blocks 0 c. The outer ends of thescrews 0 O are adapted, by preference, to receive a wrench, but may beprovided with a milled head or otherwise, so constructed as to be turnedwith facility. The blocks B B are thus rendered adjustable to and fromthe sides of the machine or die, for the purpose hereinafter set forth,for they may be drawn back and forth with relation to the sides byturning the screws '0 0 correspondingly.

D D are gages carried by the blocks B B. These gages are also adjustablein the same direction with the blocks B B, the adjustment being capableof being made without adjusting the blocks, by preference, as willhereinafter more fully appear, and this independent adjustment may beaccomplished, as shown, by making the rear or outer parts of the gagesscrew-threaded, and by mounting them in bearings applied to the blocks BB and containing female screws to receive the extensions of the gages.

F F are leaves, and F F are shoulders extending upwardly therefrom, andarranged a little way back from the inner edges of the leaves F F, thusleaving inwardly-projecting lips or shelves 0 e. The inward or workingfaces of the shoulders F F incline a little outward as they extendupward, as shown, for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

G G are springs exerting their force outwardly or toward the sides ofthe machine, and G G are arms connecting the springs G G to the outer orrear faces of the shoulders F F. The force of the springs G G should besuch as to suspend or support the leaves F F in a tilted or inclinedposition, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the inward edges of the leavesbeing raised and the outward edges resting on the blocks B B and bearingagainst the shoulders b I) articularly.

To admit of the height of the inward edges of the leaves F F beingvaried the arms G G may be perforated, so that they may be adj ustablyconnected to the shoulders F F, as shown. These leaves and shoulders,when their functions are considered, as will be hereinafter explained,may be regarded as formers. They are arranged parallel to each other onopposite sides of the machine, and a considerable distance apart, asshown. Set-screws may be employed, as shown atf, to prevent the turningof the screws 0 C after they are once properly set.

' O O are blocks, substantially the same in construction and operationas the blocks B B, excepting that the former are, by preference,somewhat wider than the latter. The blocks 0 G are arranged, as shown,at the ends of the machine or die,and are movable or adjustable in linesat right angles to the line of motion of the blocks B B.

H H are supplemental blocks, centrally pivoted at their rear ends to theblocks 0 G by means of the vertical pins or bolts g g, so that the saidsupplemental blocks may be canted around slightly upon the pins g g, andh h are screws for so moving and securing the blocks H H. The blocks H Hhave inwardly-projecting arms 1. i, in the under edges of which are thenotches or recesses j j.

, I I are leaves, which, with the exceptions hereinafter stated, aresubstantially the same in construction and operation as F F. The leavesI I have small pins or trunnions extending from their rear or outwardcorners into the notches or recesses jj, as indicated by the dotted orbroken lines at 70, Fig. 1.

The shoulders I I of the leaves I I project laterally far enough tooverlap the lips, shelves, or inwardly-projectin g edges 0 e of theleaves F F, as shown, so that the parts I I will be tilted upward anddownward with the tilting movement of the leaves F F, being raised bythe latter and descending on account of their gravity.

J is a gage applied to the rear block, H, and operating in all respectslike the gages D D.

It will be perceived from the foregoing description, and from referenceto the drawings,

that the shelves 0 e and the inward faces of the shoulders or parts F Fand I I are so arranged with relation to each other as to approximate tothe form of a pan or like vessel, excepting that the shelves 0 e do notmeet each other; but, as will hereinafter fully appear, it is notessential that they should so meet.

K is a block or false floor resting on the shelves 0 c, and l is a guideprojecting downward from the central part of the block K into a guidewayor socket, m. This floor is yielding, for the reason that its supportsare yielding; but, instead of being supported upon the shelves 0 0, itmay rest upon a spiral spring surrounding the guide 1. But as the flooritself is not an essential part of my invention, as will hereinaftermore fully appear, I have not shown it in combination with the springlast above referred to. v

The parts now described may be regarded as the female part of the die,stamp, or machine.

L is the male part of the die. The part or male die L consists of theblock L, the sides or edges of which are beveled, as shown, to enter thefemale part of the die,'or to approximate or fit into an, ordinary tinpan or like vessel of the form to be produced from the blanks of sheetmetal, and substantially such as hereinafter referred to.

L is a cap or block, to the under face .of which the block L isyieldingly applied. M M are headed guide-pins rigidly attached to theblock L and extending upward therefrom. The guides M M pass freelythrough the block L, which is countersunk to receive their heads, asindicated by the dotted or broken lines shown in Fig. 3.

N N are spiral springs surrounding the pins M M, and holding the blocksL and L slightly apart, as shown, but allowing them to be pressedtogether. 0 O are screw-pins passing downward through the block L, tolimit or control the movement of the block L toward the block L. P P arelips or flanges extending downward from the sides or edges of the blockL, and these lips set out a little way from the sides of the block L,and do not meet at the corners of the block L, as shown in Figs. 3, 4.,5, 7, and S.

Q Q are leaves, pressers, or formers, which I substitute for the leavesF F in performing the second step in the process of making the pans. Theleaves Q Q are in all respects like the leaves F F, excepting that theformer are provided with blocks It R, for bending the corners of theblanks or partly-formed pans in the manner hereinafter described.

The blocks R B have inclined inward faces and rounded inward corners, asindicated in Fig. 14..

With the leaves Q Q, I employ end leaves, S S, in all respects like theleaves II, excepting that the vertical shoulders or pressers on theleaves S S are not extended to lap the shelves e e of the side leaves.The upper edges of the vertical shoulders on the leaves Q Q and S Sshould be thinner or more cut away than those on the like shouldersapplied to the leaves F F and I I, for the purpose hereinafter setforth, and as indicated at n 02, Figs. 7, 8, and 13.

It is to be understood that the leaves F F and I I are interchangeablewith the leaves Q Q and S S, respectively.

.To use the parts now described for the purpose for which they areintended I proceed as follows, it being understood that I intend to maketin pans substantially like that shown in Fig. 11: I first take a sheetof tin of suitable dimensions and cut away the corners in the mannerindicated in Fig. 9, and the sheet so cut may be regarded as a blankfrom which the pans are made. All the parts of the die while at reststand in the positions indicated in Figs. 1,2, and 3. I then arrange theblank on the female parts of the die, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, whereinTrepresents the blank, all the gages being so set that the center of theblank will be over the center of the female part of the die. The malepart L also stands directly over the female part, and should now bepressed down with sufficient force to press the blank downward. Anysuitable means may be employed for moving the part L down and up whileoperating upon the blanks. As the partL is pushed down it pushes downthe blank,'and the blank depresses the leaves FF and II. The verticalshoulders on these leaves all move toward each other as the leaves aredepressed, and consequently the sides of the blank are turned up againstthe sides of the block L of the male die, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5; butthe upper edges of the blank are laid horizontally, as there shown, bycontact with the lips or fiangesPPduring the descent of the die L, sothat the blank assumes the form shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 10. A stillfurther downward pressure of the part L would lay the edges of the blankover or down, ready or nearly ready for the edge-wire, as will beperceived on reference to Figs. 4 and 5; but I have not there shown theedges so turned, for the reason that I prefer to turn them down as apart of the second step in forming the pans, which step I soon shallproceed to describe.

I may here state, before describing the second step, that the downwardmovement of the part L is permitted after the part L has reached theextent of its downward movement, for the reason that the said parts areyieldingly connected, in the manner already described.

The purpose of not having the flanges P P meet at the corners is toallow the flanges to pass down beyond the upper edges of the shoulders FF during the descent of the upper or flanged part of the male die afterthe lower part thereof has reached the extent of its downward movement,for otherwise the parts F F would then interfere with the furtherdownward movement of the flanged part of the male die, and consequentlythe upper edge of blank could not be turned down in the mannerdescribed.

The second step is performed by removing the leaves F F and I I, and byapplying the leaves Q Q, and S S in their places. The blank as formed bythe first step, and as shown in Fig. 10, is then placed in the femalepart of the die, as shown in Figs. 7 and S, and the part L is thendepressed, as before. As the part L is depressed the leaves Q Q, whichcarry the blocks It It, are folded downward, giving to the said blocks adownward and inward movement, and these blocks are so arranged, asshown, as to pinch in or press the projecting parts 0 0, left at thecorners of the blank at the end of the first step,'and by the time thepart L has reached the limit of its downward movement the parts 0 0 arelaid down closely against the ends of the blank, which is now acompletely-formed pan, excepting that its upper edges are notturned downto receive the edgewire. To turn down these edges the pressure iscontinued upon the die L, and the part L will then continue to move downuntil the lips or flanges P P turn down the said edges in the mannerindicated in Figs. 1-1 and 13. The pan is now ready for the edge-wire,which may be applied in any well-known or suitable way.

To prevent the downward movement of the part L with relation to the partL during the first step of the operation upon the blank, the pins 0 0may be turned or screwed down until they strike the upper face of thepart L but the pins 0 0 are not absolutely essential, for the springs NN may be sufficiently stifi to admit of the first step being performedwithout laying down the edges of the blank upon the ends thereof, asindicated in Fig. 7, it being understood, however, that those springsare not too stiff to prevent the meeting of the parts L and L under anincreased pressure, as indicated in Fig. 13.

The position of the blocks R R with relation to the blank at the end ofthe second step is indicated in Fig. 12.

It will be perceived that the leaves S S employed during the second steplie wholly in contact with their supports, and arenot yielding, and donot tilt or rock, but serve merely to receive and confine the descendingblank.

When the block or floor K is used it may aid in causing aneven oruniform downward movement of all the leaves and help support the centralpart of the blank; but as the blank itself rests upon the leaves thedownward movement is sufficiently even without the employment of theblock K. This block, when supported on a spring, as hereinbeforesuggested, will also aid in discharging the blank from the female partof the die at the end of each step.

It is obvious that this machine will perform its work upon blanks ofuniform size without adjustment, and that provision for adjusting someits parts is made to adapt it to blanks of various sizes, and to theproduction of either large or small pans, a male die of correspondingsize being employed.

It will also be perceived that those parts of the female part of the diewhich exert a lateral pressure upon the blank by being arranged in themanner described operate as toggles, and that a lateral pressure of verygreat force compared With the force required to depress the male part ofthe dieis thus exerted. The blank may also be easily removed, for theattemptto removeitreleases the toggle-like parts, and the springs G Galso aid in freeing the blank.

The operation throughout is simple, and the product is a pan Which istight and well made without the use of solder, and which, after leavingthe die, requires no manipulation, excepting that required for applyingthe edge-Wire,

when such a Wire may be deemed expedient.

It is also obvious that the parts for performin g the first step arecomplete in themselves, an d that the projecting corners 0 0 may be laiddown by hand if deemed best. It may also be remarked that the descendingmale part of the die will actuate the toggle-like parts of the femaleportion, even though the shelves 0 e be absent.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in the female part of a machine or die for makingsheet-metal pans or like vessels, of four formers arranged rectangnlarlywith relation to each other, and consistin g of horizontally-arran gedleaves havin g their inner edges suspended or yieldingly held a littlehigher than their outer edges, and the outer edges restingarticulatingly on bearings, and each leaf having on its upper face a10in gitudinally-arranged shoulder having an inner face set tocorrespond to the form of the sides of the pan, substantially as and forthe purposes specified.

2. The combination, in the female part of a machine or die for makingsheet-metal pans or like vessels, of the herein-described fourrectangularly-arranged formers, consisting of horizontally-arrangedleaves having their inner ends held yieldingly a little higher thantheir outer edges, and their outer edges resting articdlatingly uponbearings, and each leaf havin g on its upper face alongitudinally-arranged shoulder having an inner face set to corre- 5ospond to the form of the sides of the pan, one set or pair of the saidformers having thereon the inwardly-projecting shelves 6 e and theshoulders on the other pair projecting for support upon the said shelvesor bearings 00, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination, with the female part of a die or machine formakingsheet-metal pans or like vessels, of the interchangeable leaves orformers Q Q and S S, having on their upper faces longitudinally-arrangedshoulders with inner faces corresponding to the form of the sides of thepan, the said inner faces havin g thereon the blocks R R and the rearfaces of the said shoulders having therein, near their upper edges, thedepressed or contracted parts a a, all in connection with a male diemade in two parts yieldingly connected, and the upper of thesaid partscarrying the flanges P P not meeting at the corners of the said part,substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. The combination, in a machine or die for making sheet-metal pans orlike vessels, of a male die consisting of the cap or block L,

having thereon the laterallyarranged and downWardly-projecting flangesor lips P P not meeting at the corners of the said block, and of theblock L, yieldingly applied to the under face of the block L, and afemale die adapted to receive the said male die, substantially as andfor the purposes specified.

5. The combination, with the female parts of a machine or die for makingsheet-metal pans or like vessels, of the die L, consisting

